What Are the Dangers of Public Smoking?

Public smoking is dangerous because of the adverse effects of tobacco smoke on smokers and non-smokers alike. The dangers of smoking to non-smokers comes in the form of passive or involuntary smoking, wherein non-smokers inhale the smoke from the cigarettes of smokers. The consequence of public smoking is that non-smokers are exposed to the same adverse health conditions as smokers, and this danger increases with the frequency of exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke.

Lung Cancer

• Tobacco smoke causes lung cancer

  Tobacco smoke causes lung cancer. Second-hand smoke is a mixture of two types of smoke in the form of mainstream smoke, which is exhaled by the smoker, and sidestream smoke, which comes from the lighted end of a cigar or cigarette. This smoke contains carcinogens, which are cancer-causing agents, along with other toxic agents. Toxic agents in tobacco smoke include chromium, benzene, carbon monoxide, lead, cyanide, nickel and polonium. The residue from tobacco smoke can linger for hours, so even though the smoker may have left the area, dangerous particles remain in the air. Lung cancer is the result of abnormal cell growth in the lungs; symptoms include wheezing, shortness of breath and bloody mucus.

Tobacco Smoke and Pregnant Women

• Tobacco smoke causes respiratory infections such as asthma in children.

  Exposure to others' tobacco smoke affects pregnant women almost the same way that smoking itself affects them. This risk also greatly increases with the regularity of exposure to cigarette smoke. Cigarette smoke can lead to sudden infant death syndrome, increase the risk of still birth, and cause low-weight births, colic in babies and respiratory infections such as asthma. Smoking also causes premature birth owing to premature rupture of membranes and placental abruption, in which the placenta pulls the at the walls of the uterus during the delivery process. Exposure to cigarette smoke increases the chances of having children with cerebral palsy and other types of mental retardation.

Smoking and Heart Disease

• Smoking increases the risks of heart conditions like atherosclerosis.

  Smoking increases the risks of heart conditions like atherosclerosis, a condition that leads to the build-up of fatty substances in the arteries, which in turn leads to deterioration. This causes the walls of the arteries to thicken, leading to a decreased supply of oxygen to the heart. The resulting extra strain on the heart may lead to angina pectoris, which is a type of chest pain. Peripheral artery disease affects the arteries that supply blood to the arms and legs, leading to painful cramping of the leg muscles or intermittent claudication. It can also increase the chances of a stroke.